Culture Shock

Culture Shock

Culture Shock is this month’s topic for Dolce Vita Bloggers.

There are many differences between living in Italy and living in the United States. Some better, some worse, and ‘some just plain frustrating’. Italians (and most of Europe) sensibly respect the hours reserved for the daily ‘pausa’. This varies city by city and town by town. It is not unusual to be in a grocery store as the mid day riposa nears and to have the lights flicker. A not so subtle reminder that it is time to pay up and be on your way.

But isn’t this just one of the things we love about Italy???? A nudge to redirect ourselves from the usual hectic lifestyle, indulge in a leisurely lunch and perhaps even ‘un bel dormitino’ (a little nap).

I tell all my friends who visit that ‘Italy has its own rhythm’. For most of us, that is what attracts us to the experience of living or visiting another country. An opportunity to observe, unwind and discover unexpected riches.

Holly GoLightly at Pranzo

This post is written as part of the monthly #dolcevitabloggers linkup, hosted by Jasmine of Questa Dolce Vita, Kelly of Italian at Heart and Kristie of Mamma Prada the 7th -14th of every month.

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Comments (2)

Bellissimamma
August 24, 2018
8:33 am

#DolceVitaBloggers
Ciao Bella! Yes I agree that the daily pausa is good for the soul. When I used to live and work in the US, I felt that every minute was not wasted in terms of productivity. My lunch break consisted only of 15 minutes of actual eating. I was always doing something. Now that I live in Italy, I realized that pausa is important because it allows me to stop and take a break. Since I am a stay at home mom now, pausa is my kids’ naptime. I also get to take a nap for a bit, then afterwards I do something very relaxing for another 30 minutes or so. I used to think it was a waste of time, but not anymore. I think I like living slow better now. 🙂

LuLu B – Calabrisella Mia
August 30, 2018
6:51 am

I have to admit, the mid-day pause was one of the most difficult things to get used to (and it still makes me crazy sometimes). It just means organizing your days a bit differently. I am learning to appreciate it, I mean part of what I love here is the pace of life.